Wood question for a J Stevens Buckhorn .22

[easyliven88]

Hello all, I have had this Buckhorn Model 66B for some time now and am now finally getting to work on it. For starters, I picked this little rifle from a garage sale. Some one had put a super dark stain on it, so basically it was a plum color and plum ugly. I stripped it, then bleached it and now it is down to bare walnut.

Once stripped I noticed a wood repair (bad repair) just left of where the tang would be...so I dremeled out the filler and there is a nice and neat "pocket". My question is: was this "pocket supposed to be there (I personally don't see any reason for it). It just seems uniform, kind of.

Anyway I would like some input as to what filler you might use in this situation. It has to be stain-able, I would like to make this a beautiful original stock again.

Thanks for any comments/input....

 

[4V50 Gary]

I'd make a wood plug and acraglas it in.

 

[Snyper]

I don't think you're going to find a stainable filler.

I believe you'll need to use a mix of clear resin, sawdust, and your stain to try and match the color

You could also try inletting a piece of wood which could be stained , but would still not blend in perfectly

 

[James K]

I would remove the buttplate and grind out out some wood from under it to get sawdust, then mix it as Snyper says. If you don't get enough to fill the hole, fill it with epoxy filler or bedding compound up close to the top, then use the sawdust mixture to match the wood.

Jim

 

[easyliven88]

I think I'll go with the plug method, after reading about how the saw dust and glue/resin doesn't really stain well....

Thanks for the replies...I'll post some pics when done

 

[Dixie Gunsmithing]

To get the same wood, take off the buttplate, and using a small hole saw, around a 3/4", and without the center bit, bore out a plug about 1/2" deep, chisel it loose, and use it to patch the hole. That should be big enough piece so you can split the plug, and get the grain that will show in the right direction.

Once you have it, to where you can lay out a plug, sand the diameter down, a little at a time, until you get a tight fit with the plug, and the grain in the correct direction. After, epoxy it in place, leaving the plug a little proud, then sand it even with the stock after the glue dries.

If you have a source for some walnut, you can get a plug easier from it. That looks like a light piece of wood, so that would be the coloring to look for. You might even get by with a plug of maple or ash. Another possibility would be to carve out a plug from the barrel channel in the forearm, where that will hide it being missing.

 

[James K]

The stocks on those inexpensive rifles were usually not walnut, but I can't tell from the pictures what that one is. I would be afraid walnut would be too dark and the rest of the stock would not stain to match it.

Jim

 

[Snyper]

I like the idea of taking a plug from under the butt plate.
You may even be able to fit it nearly perfectly by drilling the blemish to make it round too

 

[Dixie Gunsmithing]

Jim, some were Birch and Sycamore, but the grain of that looks like Walnut up close. I have seen light-colored walnut, which was used on cheaper gunstocks. Some of it almost looked like it was bleached. Of course, on this gun, it could be something totally different, but it is a hardwood. I'd bet Birch or Ash would hide it easily.

What I ended up doing, was buying culls and scraps from a few stock makers. When I run across guns like these, or ones with broken toes, etc, I use the scrap, and cut the damage down to a grain line by sanding, and match the two pieces together. That is about as close as one can do it, as the grain line tends to hide the glue joint. It does take time to do, though, and can be tedious.